December is for down time.

Now that the 2012 racing season is over for me, it's time to circle the wagons, regroup, rebuild and gear up for the 2013 season.  After a complete week of rest, post Quad Dipsea I returned to training with a week of light strength work and cycling.  Now into my third week of no running I've upped the intensity of the strength training (Mon, Tue - Thu, Fri) while keeping the time in the saddle about the same (90 minutes every other day).  The goal through December is to rebuild my body and regain strength lost during the last four months of volume training and racing three ultra marathons.  Training and racing really came together in 2012 and although some of the races with be different in 2013 I'm going to use the same template to prepare as I did in 2012.  

Early in the year the focus will be strength and speed specific with lots of focus on heavy lifts and track work with shorter races on the calendar.  As the season progress strength training will transition to Max Effort Black Box approach as well as an increase in volume of my running and the distance of my races.  Finally as race day gets closer on the calendar, strength training will transition into maintenance phase and run training will be very event specific for two months leading in to the start on priority race number 1.

Priority race number 1 will come in July, when I take another crack at running the 20in24 Lone Ranger, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.  The 2011, 20in24 was my first attempt at ultra marathoning.  84.5 miles in 19+ hours, falling short of my goal of either running 100 miles or completing 24 hours.  Falling short of those goals has stayed with me ever since, so close yet so, so far away.  The need for redemption at the 20in24 burns even more then it did for NC50K or the QD.  Even though both those races broke me I still managed to finish them. The 20in24 forced me into submission after the 10th, 8.4 mile loop.  This years event I will have an added bonus of having my brother as my partner in crime.  Though thick and thin we've been through it all and now were going to run to hell and back, with a smile on our face the whole time.